![]() When tin is mixed in, the alloy is used for manufacturing organ pipes. Lead-antimony is also used as a dopant (a foreign substance inserted into a material to intentionally alter the properties of the overall material) in semiconductor research and production. car batteries), bullets, solder (for soldering), electrical cables, and pewter. Lead-antimony alloys have improved hardness and mechanical strength and are used in lead-acid batteries (e.g. The most common types of antimony alloys include lead and/or tin. There are 35 radioisotopes (not naturally-occurring or stable) of antimony, and the one with the longest half-life is 125Sb, with a half-life of 2.75 years.Īpproximately 20% of the antimony supply is used in alloys. 121Sb has a natural abundance of 57.36%, and 123Sb has a natural abundance of 42.64%. Electron Configuration: 5s 2 4d 10 5p 3Īntimony has only two naturally-occurring, stable isotopes: 121Sb and 123Sb.Electronegativity: 2.05 (Pauling scale).At higher temperatures it will convert into black antimony. It can only be formed by oxidation of stibine (SbH 3) at very low temperatures. Yellow antimony is the least stable of the four forms. It shares the same crystal structure as red phosphorus and black arsenic, and at elevated temperatures, it gradually transforms into the metallic, silver form of antimony. Black antimony is formed when antimony vapor is quickly cooled to form a solid, and it can ignite spontaneously in air. White antimony is not stable, is created under very specific conditions, and is extremely explosive. high density), but weak bonding between the layers results in a brittle and only moderately hard substance. Elemental antimony has a layered structure which allows for close packing (i.e. ![]() Additionally, antimony is midway down its group, and there is less of a driving force to reach an octet as we move down a periodic group because the valence electrons exist at higher, more unstable energies, so adding more of them doesn’t increase stability very much. Antimony has five valence electrons, so it is not very close (meaning one or two electrons away) to reaching a perfect octet by gaining electrons through reacting/bonding with another element. Reactivity is mainly governed by valence electrons. Therefore, we say antimony is moderately reactive because it needs extra energy (e.g. At sufficient temperatures in an oxygen environment, it will form antimony oxides (because energy has been supplied by the higher temperatures to drive the reaction). Boiling Point: 1587 ☌ = 2889 ☏ = 1860 KĪntimony is stable in air at room temperature.While silver/metallic antimony is the main allotrope and generally the main form of antimony that people refer to, white, yellow, and black antimony allotropes also exist. A unique property of antimony is that it expands as it freezes (like water) because its solid form is less dense than its liquid form. Physical PropertiesĪt room temperature and pressure, antimony exists as a lustrous (shiny), hard, brittle solid. Like many metalloids, antimony is a relatively poor conductor of heat and electricity, worse than most metals. It shares many physical properties with sulfur (a nonmetal) and many chemical properties with metals. This means it has some properties of metals but not enough to classify it as a true metal. Antimony is classified as a solid and semi-metal or metalloid. However, it can be found as the pure metal sometimes. Antimony does not usually occur as a free element in nature, because it is moderately reactive, but it can be found in small quantities in many minerals (over 100 of them!), like stibnite. Number of Neutrons : 71Īt room temperature, elemental antimony is a silver-white solid that is poisonous (severely toxic).Antimony and arsenic are both also known for being poisonous. Elements in Group 15 are referred to as pnictogens (meaning “to choke”) due to their asphyxiating properties. The symbol “Sb” comes the Roman author Pliny who gave antimony the name “stibium” after the mineral stibnite, which contains antimony.Īntimony is the fourth element in Group 15 of the periodic table, appearing after arsenic. Antimony is primarily used in flame retardants, alloys, electronics, and paints.Īntimony’s name is derived from two Greek words “anti” and “monos,” which mean “not alone.” This stems from the fact that in nature antimony is usually found combined with other elements, not alone, in its pure form. It is located on the mid-right side of the periodic table, near the other semi-metals or metalloids. “ Antimony” by Robert Lavinsky has not been altered and is licensed under CC Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.Īntimony is a silvery solid at room temperature and pressure.
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